What Do Parties Health Promises Mean? We Break It Down

• Governments have the power to decide whether people live or die when it comes to health and your vote will determine which type of government we get.

• In South Africa this kind of influence became especially apparent in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the Mbeki government denied South Africans free HIV treatment , resulting in over 330 000 unnecessary deaths .

• In 2004 , our governments policy changed resulting in the country now having the largest antiretroviral treatment in the world and people with HIV living almost as long as HIV-negative people .

• Today, were launching a series of analyses to break down what parties say they will do to fix the countrys health system.

In todays newsletter , our team tallies up how different parties address health issues in their manifestos. Sign up .

Governments have the power to decide whether people live or die when it comes to health and your vote will determine which type of government we get.

In South Africa, this kind of influence became especially apparent in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the Mbeki government denied South Africans free HIV treatment , resulting in over 330 000 unnecessary deaths .

In 2004 , our governments policy changed resulting in the country now having the largest antiretroviral treatment in the world and people with HIV living almost as long as HIV-negative people .

On 29 May just four weeks away your vote will determine how well South Africas post-election government will look after your health. Thats why its crucial that you know what your party says it will do about health matters.

But comparing what different parties say about an issue can be tricky to figure out which is why well be bringing you a series of analyses of 16 parties health plans and promises from their manifestos over the next month, in the run-up to the election.

For easy comparison, weve broken it down to nine categories from rolling out universal healthcare and dealing with the effects of climate change to rooting out corruption in health services and tackling HIV , tuberculosis and gender-based violence . All of this is wrapped into the context of what health looks like in South Africa at the moment, so that you can make an informed decision about where to put your cross on election day.

Youll be able to decide how much depth you want: bite-sized summaries of what each party says on a specific issue for a quick overview or a fuller unpacking of the detail within a category to help you understand the jargon of manifesto speak the choice is yours. In a few days, well be adding a handy comparison tool as well, so watch this space.

We kick off the series by analysing the manifestos of the four biggest movers and shakers. Results from an Ipsos poll released on Friday , showed that voter support for the African National Congress (ANC), whos held the majority vote over the past 30 years, is hovering around 40%. The Democratic Alliances (DA) percentage of support sits in the low 20s, while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) share has almost halved from 19.6% in February to 11.5% at the end of April. The newcomer uMKhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has rallied 8.4% of support among voters in four months since its launch.

Heres how theyll keep South Africa healthy. Click on the tabs with the party names.